Trouble Shaping Flat Sided Bait

[DanCampbell]

Hello,

I'm having trouble getting my bait even after cutting out the blank, I am cutting it out with a band saw and then attempting to round the edges

So far I have tried cutting a strip of sandpaper and using a shoeshine motion on the lure. It's turning out OK but not the best.

Could anyone offer some methods or tips? This seems simple but I'm having a tough time with it.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

[Toxictackle]

Hello,

I'm having trouble getting my bait even after cutting out the blank, I am cutting it out with a band saw and then attempting to round the edges

So far I have tried cutting a strip of sandpaper and using a shoeshine motion on the lure. It's turning out OK but not the best.

Could anyone offer some methods or tips? This seems simple but I'm having a tough time with it.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

Dan, what kind of wood are you using? When I use balsa I have a router table set up with a round over bit and I glue 3 pieces of wood together before I cut it out on the band- scroll

saw . The middle piece of wood is the surface that the guide roller on the router bit rides on while cutting , after you round the edges you remove the middle piece of would witch is held in place by a small amont of superglue, then you put you wire frame and hardware in and touch up any rough spots with a 180 grit sanding sponge . I us to shape them all by hand , but router table gets them very even and does it much faster than all the hand sanding. If you have to do them by hand always sand balsa with the grain of the wood or your wood will looIMG_3171.JPGk and be real fussy and it's harder to seal and get a good paint job. Cut them out where the grain of the wood runs front to rear to get better results.

[danderson]

Dan, what kind of wood are you using? When I use balsa I have a router table set up with a round over bit and I glue 3 pieces of wood together before I cut it out on the band- scroll

saw . The middle piece of wood is the surface that the guide roller on the router bit rides on while cutting , after you round the edges you remove the middle piece of would witch is held in place by a small amont of superglue, then you put you wire frame and hardware in and touch up any rough spots with a 180 grit sanding sponge . I us to shape them all by hand , but router table gets them very even and does it much faster than all the hand sanding. If you have to do them by hand always sand balsa with the grain of the wood or your wood will looIMG_3171.JPGk and be real fussy and it's harder to seal and get a good paint job. Cut them out where the grain of the wood runs front to rear to get better results.

I do basically the same thing. I hold the pieces together, if I'm working in halves, with a few straight pins. This works well for balsa but basswood or something harder will move the pieces around.

[DanCampbell]

I do basically the same thing. I hold the pieces together, if I'm working in halves, with a few straight pins. This works well for balsa but basswood or something harder will move the pieces around.

Hi,

These are a single piece of balsa 1/2 inch thick, I am not doing through wire yet. I cut the blank out with a band saw and kind of hold it in a spring clamp while sanding. The router sounds good but I have no idea how I would hold it.

Dan

[BobP]

To get baits symmetrical, I have to mark sanding limits to guide how I round over the edges by hand with a Dremel sanding cylinder. I use a good quality compass to mark a center line on the back and belly of the bait (for hardware placement), then using the same compass setting (half the width of the bait), run lines around the sides of the bait. Reduce the compass to 1/4 the width of the bait and run it on both sides of the top and bottom of the blank. That gives you a sanding guide that you don't have to 'think about too much" while doing the main round-over. Just sand it more or less flat between the guidelines, then smooth the remaining minor edges for a symmetrical bait. The guideline on the sides is 2X as wide as the guidelines on the top and bottom of the blank, which gives the bait what I consider to be a more natural shad shape (but to each his own!). Yes, it's a little more work to mark up the bait this way - but it's the only way I can get a consistent rounding by hand. When I try to do it "just by eye", the wood grain and compound curves of the bait fool me every time.

[clemmy]

Dan,

A quick way is to use some leftover PVC pipe (often free cutoffs from home depot) and cut in half on your bandsaw. then glue sandpaper to inside. you can use the other half of the for a finer grade. I reccomend using PSA sandpaper or Scotch 77 spray adhesive. Different sizes of pipe = different radiuses. Heck, you can even get fancy and use a PVC "T" fitting to cement a handle!

Definitely NOT a high production method, but works quite well..

Craig

[atrophius]

Okay, I'll throw my 2 cents here to. I am a low tech guy, I dont have a lot of room for power tools. So what I do is cut out my blank, then put it in a vice with pads so it doesnt dent the wood, and then I use a hand file to chamfer the edges. You can get a pretty aggressive file and just rough out 45 degree anglesall the way around. Then if you want to "shoe-shine" sand it from there, It will become more symmetrical.

[DanCampbell]

Okay, I'll throw my 2 cents here to. I am a low tech guy, I dont have a lot of room for power tools. So what I do is cut out my blank, then put it in a vice with pads so it doesnt dent the wood, and then I use a hand file to chamfer the edges. You can get a pretty aggressive file and just rough out 45 degree anglesall the way around. Then if you want to "shoe-shine" sand it from there, It will become more symmetrical.

These are all great ideas, I really thank you.

I have read online of people putting the blanks in rock tumblers or concrete mixers with some sort of media. I'm not even sure how that would work.

Anyone have any thoughts on that process? Not I have a concrete mixer laying around.

Dan

[joeglk]

i saw on ebay a dremel atchment thats a small router table. dremel sells small bits to round an edge.

[atrophius]

These are all great ideas, I really thank you.

I have read online of people putting the blanks in rock tumblers or concrete mixers with some sort of media. I'm not even sure how that would work.

Anyone have any thoughts on that process? Not I have a concrete mixer laying around.

Dan

My daughter had a rock tumbler we picked up at Hobby Lobby, its was inexpensive. The thing with that is, your looking at a day or two atleast to round something off with it.

[atrophius]

My daughter had a rock tumbler we picked up at Hobby Lobby, its was inexpensive. The thing with that is, your looking at a day or two atleast to round something off with it.

It wont let me edit my post, so adding a second part hehe.

You can pick up a cheap file that will last a long time from home depot. I use one that is like a flat bar but has a rough side and a smoothing side. You can knock the corners off your blank and then smooth from there.

I use this one, and it works great.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xkc/R-100134991/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Other then that, you can try any of the other suggestions.

[Husky]

It wont let me edit my post, so adding a second part hehe.

You can pick up a cheap file that will last a long time from home depot. I use one that is like a flat bar but has a rough side and a smoothing side. You can knock the corners off your blank and then smooth from there.

I use this one, and it works great.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xkc/R-100134991/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Other then that, you can try any of the other suggestions.

Try cutting a piece of pvc pipe in half length wise. Glue some coarse Sand paper in one side finer in the other. That will let you get that rounded shape with a minimum hassle. AJP gave that hint on another board.

[rotorhead]

Dan, what kind of wood are you using? When I use balsa I have a router table set up with a round over bit and I glue 3 pieces of wood together before I cut it out on the band- scroll

saw . The middle piece of wood is the surface that the guide roller on the router bit rides on while cutting , after you round the edges you remove the middle piece of would witch is held in place by a small amont of superglue, then you put you wire frame and hardware in and touch up any rough spots with a 180 grit sanding sponge . I us to shape them all by hand , but router table gets them very even and does it much faster than all the hand sanding. If you have to do them by hand always sand balsa with the grain of the wood or your wood will looIMG_3171.JPGk and be real fussy and it's harder to seal and get a good paint job. Cut them out where the grain of the wood runs front to rear to get better results.

[BobP]

Dremel router table - seemed like a good idea because I use a Dremel. I got one but found the largest bit available was a 1/8" round-over bit, which is not enough rounding over to matter. My attitude - don't waste your money unless you can find a bit of at least 1/4" with a 1/8" shank. I couldn't. Also, the Dremel unit is plastic. I never used mine enough to tell, but I wonder if the construction is rigid enough to ensure accurate cutting. I've looked at standard router tables but when all is said and done, I just can't get comfortable with the idea of trying to rout 2 1/4" long baits on a bit turning at 20K rpm.

[joeglk]

Dremel router table - seemed like a good idea because I use a Dremel. I got one but found the largest bit available was a 1/8" round-over bit, which is not enough rounding over to matter. My attitude - don't waste your money unless you can find a bit of at least 1/4" with a 1/8" shank. I couldn't. Also, the Dremel unit is plastic. I never used mine enough to tell, but I wonder if the construction is rigid enough to ensure accurate cutting. I've looked at standard router tables but when all is said and done, I just can't get comfortable with the idea of trying to rout 2 1/4" long baits on a bit turning at 20K rpm.

you have looked into it futher that i have. i do woodworking. and have done it for a long time. after talking to www.woodcraft.com thay told me about a tool that will hold the peace your routering. i didnt look into it after that. if i find it again i will post the link

Edited April 26, 2010 by joeglk

[tc-lures]

Dremel router table - seemed like a good idea because I use a Dremel. I got one but found the largest bit available was a 1/8" round-over bit, which is not enough rounding over to matter. My attitude - don't waste your money unless you can find a bit of at least 1/4" with a 1/8" shank. I couldn't. Also, the Dremel unit is plastic. I never used mine enough to tell, but I wonder if the construction is rigid enough to ensure accurate cutting. I've looked at standard router tables but when all is said and done, I just can't get comfortable with the idea of trying to rout 2 1/4" long baits on a bit turning at 20K rpm.

Like BobP, I tried the Dremel router table and thought it did not round over the bait enough, so now I use a regular router and table, I cut 2 baits tail to tail leaving the middle section as long as you want, so that you can use one bait to hold while you round over the sides then switch ends, after rounding over finish cutting off the baits with the bandsaw, if anyone would like a picture let me know and I will try to post one, or pm me with any questions.

Todd

[mainbutter]

The only tools I use for shaping wooden lures from jointed swimbaits to plain jane flat sided cranks is:

1) band saw to create the general shape

2) utility knife aka box cutter (the kind that uses razor blades) for shaping and adding details

3) sandpaper, one coarse and one ultra fine, to get nice smooth texture

That's it for me.. Pretty darn low tech and minimal. Then again, my lures don't look as fantastic as some of the artists we have here.

[Vodkaman]

I do not like using router machines, but sometimes it is the best tool for the job. I own two, one fixed in a table, the other for free hand work.

Of all the various router bits, the corner round bit seems to give the least trouble as regards kicking. But all this does is lull you into a false sense of security, so when it does kick, you will probably have to change your underpants.

TC's method is a very good one, cutting two or more baits, joined end to end. Better for two reasons: first, you can keep your fingers further away from the cutter, second, this method avoids cutting the end grain.

I would always recommend avoiding using a router cutter on end grain or cutting against the wood grain, as this is where the problems are generated, but cannot always be avoided.

Read the booklet/instructions that come with your router, particularly about the feed direction, this is important.

Here is a link to some useful instructions on router use: http://www.ehow.com/how_4530577_beginner-tips-using-router-woodworking.html

Instructions always say to wear gloves, this saves you having to search the dirty workshop for the end of your finger. Don't forget the eye and ear protection.

Dave

[hazmail]

You could spend an hour making one of these, saves you hours of sanding - there is a thread or tutorial on here somewhere, I posted it about 2 years back. I'm not a carver, I'm a sander . Pete

Edited April 27, 2010 by hazmail

[DanCampbell]

You could spend an hour making one of these, saves you hours of sanding - there is a thread or tutorial on here somewhere, I posted it about 2 years back. I'm not a carver, I'm a sander . Pete

Pete,

That is a great idea, how in the world do you come up with this stuff??

I will do a search and try to find this tut you posted.

Thanks everyone, I am having a great time learning.

Dan

[DanCampbell]

Try cutting a piece of pvc pipe in half length wise. Glue some coarse Sand paper in one side finer in the other. That will let you get that rounded shape with a minimum hassle. AJP gave that hint on another board.

You mean to tell me there are other boards?